WASHINGTON -- After major communications problems during Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard Bureau fielded 97 Joint Incident Site Communications Capability Systems to insure better communications among federal, state and local rescue workers. The goal was to insure interoperability among the different communications systems used by first responders.

But a new report Wednesday from the Defense Department Inspector General said major problems remain, compromising response time by the National Guard, the military's first responders.

While National Guard units now have access to high-frequency radio, telephone, video, and satellite equipment, it is not always available, maintained, staffed, or ready for use during a domestic emergency, according to the inspector general's report.

Training is also a serious problem. The report said that the Louisiana National Guard has two trained members on advanced communications equipment but needs four more. Similar shortfalls are rampant across all 50 state National Guard units, the IG report said.

"These conditions occurred because National Guard Bureau officials did not have adequate oversight procedures in place to monitor sustainment of Joint Incident Site Communications Capability Systems (JISCC) provided National Guard units," the IG report said. "As a result, DOD may experience reduced communications when coordinating with federal, state, and local first responders during future domestic emergencies, which may adversely affect rescue and relief efforts and increase the risk of physical and economic damages and human casualties."

The report said the IG decided to look at progress after the serious communication problems with the federal response to Hurricane Katrina and the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C.

Col. David Collins, director of the National Guard Bureau, agreed more formalized oversight is needed to insure communications equipment is working, and personnel are ready to use it correctly. But he contends the shortcomings outlined by the IG never led to failures in National Guard responses to emergencies.

"National Guard Bureau believes that the effectiveness of these management actions and redundant checking processes is reflected in the fact that, to date, there has never been a single mission delayed or otherwise impacted by JISCC failure," Collins said.